Chapter Summaries

After Pepper paid for Lin Hai’s bracelet, she gave another to Tony Stark, who discovered through experience and data that it improved his sleep and eased his fatigue. Lin Hai saw Tony wearing it in a photo and continued preparing for the events ahead.

• Lin Hai received Pepper’s message confirming payment and reporting that the bracelet worked as promised.
• Pepper left Tony a sandalwood bracelet and a note saying it might relieve fatigue and improve sleep.
• Tony put on the bracelet and fell asleep more easily than usual.
• Tony tracked his sleep and recovery data, then ran control experiments that convinced him the bracelet was useful.
• Lin Hai saw a photo of Tony wearing the bracelet and continued work on the miniature cameras and reconnaissance in Afghanistan.

Lin Hai accelerated his thesis work while preparing to document Tony Stark’s captivity in Afghanistan. He located the Ten Rings Gang’s cave and set up a concealed camera network, then remotely calibrated it from Los Angeles.

• Lin Hai and Gwen returned to Los Angeles after a brief family visit and focused on finishing their theses, while Harry began writing his and Peter spent most of the break dating MJ.
• Lin Hai found a snow-covered Afghan valley with Stark Industries crates inside its military tents, confirming it as the Ten Rings Gang’s base.
• Lin Hai used Heartbind Vine seeds to install miniature cameras inside the cave walls, reserving five cameras for close-up footage of Tony.
• Lin Hai returned to Los Angeles and used Harry’s encrypted tablet to connect to and calibrate the cave cameras.
• Lin Hai imagined giving Tony the complete footage as a souvenir album and selling it to him years later.

In his final semester at Caltech, Lin Hai finished his thesis while monitoring the Ten Rings Gang and managing Starsea Studio, expecting Tony Stark’s kidnapping to happen soon. After Tony won the Apogee Award for the Jericho missile, Lin Hai watched the Afghanistan cave feeds and waited for Tony to arrive.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry agreed they would focus on their theses and would not pursue graduate degrees or ordinary jobs.
• Peter rapidly caught up on his thesis, Gwen resumed studying Kamar-Taj magic, and Harry studied the Osborn Group’s business and management under Norman’s guidance.
• Lin Hai monitored the Ten Rings Gang in Afghanistan and noticed its ranks growing and more Stark weapons arriving in the cave.
• Starsea Studio began producing small batches of sandalwood bead bracelets and researching the market for them.
• Lin Hai finished the final version of his thesis and received a news alert that Tony Stark had won the Apogee Award for developing the Jericho missile.
• Lin Hai opened the cave surveillance feeds and waited for Tony Stark to arrive in Afghanistan.

Tony Stark skipped his Apogee Award ceremony, delayed his flight to Afghanistan, and gave a successful Jericho missile demonstration. As his convoy left the site, the lead jeep was blown up, beginning the attack that would lead to his capture.

• Tony Stark missed the Apogee Award ceremony, so Obadiah Stane accepted the award on his behalf.
• Tony spent the night with Christine Everhart, then delayed his Afghanistan flight by working on his hot rod until Pepper hurried him along.
• Tony arrived three hours late at the airport, where James Rhodes waited, and flew with him to Afghanistan.
• Tony demonstrated the Jericho missile to U.S. soldiers, and it destroyed its target in the mountains.
• Tony declined Rhodey's offer to ride with him and joked with soldiers as his jeep traveled in the convoy.
• An explosion destroyed the jeep leading Tony's convoy.

Tony Stark survived the Ten Rings Gang’s attack and was kidnapped, while Lin Hai monitored his capture from afar. Tony woke in a cave, where an unseen man warned him not to move.

• The Ten Rings Gang attacked Tony Stark’s convoy, killed the guards, and left Tony unconscious but alive.
• The gang leader ordered his men to take Tony captive so they could exploit his weapons expertise.
• Lin Hai watched the kidnapping from hiding, then monitored Tony’s treatment and captivity through surveillance feeds.
• Tony briefly woke during a ransom-video recording, then lost consciousness again.
• Tony later woke in the cave, removed an oxygen tube, and reached for water despite a tug in his chest.
• A man shaving before a broken mirror warned Tony not to move.

Tony Stark woke in captivity with an electromagnet keeping shrapnel from reaching his heart, then refused to build Jericho missiles until his captors tortured him into agreeing. Back in the cave, Yinsen urged the despairing Tony to use the crucial week he had left, and Tony appeared to make a decision.

• Tony Stark woke to find a car battery wired to the electromagnet embedded in his chest, and Yinsen explained how it was keeping shrapnel from reaching his heart.
• Militants demanded that Tony build Jericho missiles, but he refused and was repeatedly submerged in water until he agreed.
• The militants showed Tony crates of Stark Industries weapons and promised to release him after he built the missiles; Tony and Yinsen privately agreed that they would not.
• Back in the cave, Tony despaired over his injuries, his limited time, and the certainty that his captors would not release him.
• Yinsen urged Tony to treat the coming week as crucial, and Tony's gaze sharpened as he appeared to make a decision.

Tony Stark built a Miniature Arc Oscillation Reflector and revealed that his blueprints formed a steel suit of armor, then began assembling its parts with Yinsen. The Ten Rings Gang leader grew suspicious, threatened Yinsen, and gave Tony until the next day to assemble the Jericho missile.

• Tony melted palladium plates and built the first Miniature Arc Oscillation Reflector, which replaced the electromagnet in his chest and removed his immediate risk of dying.
• Tony showed Yinsen how his separate blueprints aligned to form a steel suit of armor, and Yinsen helped him install the reactor.
• Tony and Yinsen tested crude armor parts, catching the attention of the bald leader, who led armed militants into their cave.
• The bald leader examined Tony’s reactor and blueprints, then threatened Yinsen with a red-hot iron while questioning him about their work.
• Tony spoke up to protect Yinsen, and the leader ordered Tony to assemble the Jericho missile by the next day.

As Tony Stark’s Mark I armor neared completion, Lin Hai secretly entered the cave and protected Yinsen while the Ten Rings Gang closed in. The armor powered up and Tony began fighting back, while Yinsen remained surrounded by armed men outside.

• Tony and Yinsen nearly finished putting on the Mark I before a guard noticed Tony was missing from the surveillance feed.
• Two armed men opened the cave door, triggering an explosion that killed them and alerted the Ten Rings Gang.
• Tony told Yinsen to start the armor’s power-up sequence as the gang’s men rushed toward the cave.
• Yinsen ran into the passage to draw the attackers away, and Lin Hai secretly used Life Force to protect him from fatal injuries.
• Yinsen reached the cave entrance and found more than a dozen armed men waiting for him.
• Tony’s armor powered up, and its steel arm struck an armed man as the others fired wildly into the cave.

Tony used Mark I to fight his way through the cave and reach Yinsen, while Lin Hai watched and livestreamed the escape. After Yinsen warned Tony about the bald leader’s grenade, Tony brought the leader down with a rocket and urged Yinsen to leave, but Yinsen said his plan had always been to stay behind.

• Tony piloted Mark I through the cave, defeating the armed men and smashing through the locked iron doors at the exit.
• The bald leader fired a grenade at Mark I, but Tony dodged it after Yinsen shouted a warning.
• Tony fired a small rocket that triggered a rockslide and buried the bald leader.
• Tony found Yinsen badly wounded and urged him to escape with him, but Yinsen said he had always planned to stay behind.
• Lin Hai watched the scene on his tablet and worried that Yinsen’s Life Force would keep him alive long enough to accompany Tony.

Lin Hai recalled how Pepper Potts had asked him to find Tony Stark, then intervened when Tony was about to lose more time in the Afghan cave. He made Yinsen appear dead so Tony would leave, while secretly keeping Yinsen alive, and Tony emerged in the Mark I as the militants opened fire.

• Pepper asked Vanessa Fisk to help her reach Lin Hai, and Vanessa confirmed that he had extraordinary abilities.
• Lin Hai agreed to search for Tony and used Life Force to restore Pepper after her exhausting days.
• Watching Tony and Yinsen on the tablet, Lin Hai stimulated Yinsen’s carotid sinus, causing him to lose consciousness while Lin Hai’s Life Force kept him alive.
• Believing Yinsen had died, Tony put on the Mark I and left the cave to fight his way out rather than delay further.
• The militants fired on Tony’s steel armor, but the Mark I remained standing at the cave entrance, apparently unharmed.

Tony used Mark I to attack the militants and escape the cave, finally reaching the open desert after a dangerous flight and crash. He survived the wreckage and realized he was free.

• Tony unleashed Mark I’s flamethrowers, burning through the militants and their Stark Industries weapons.
• Militants fired an autocannon at Mark I and damaged its left knee joint, making Tony fall and halting his advance.
• Tony fired at the militants on his flank, setting off a series of explosions that engulfed Mark I and gave him cover.
• Tony activated the jets beneath Mark I’s feet and launched himself out of the valley while Lin Hai watched from an observation point.
• Mark I ran out of fuel and crashed into the desert sand, breaking apart and leaving Tony alive amid the wreckage.

After Tony escaped the desert and was spotted by United States military helicopters, Lin Hai told Pepper he would soon be home. Lin Hai brought the unconscious Yinsen to Kamar-Taj and asked Hamil to contact The Ancient One about letting him stay there temporarily.

• Tony recovered enough to leave the Mark I wreckage and walked away from the mountains as Lin Hai watched over him.
• Two United States military helicopters found Tony, and Lin Hai messaged Pepper that he would soon return.
• Pepper thanked Lin Hai for finding Tony and protecting him, then felt relieved when she learned he was safe.
• Lin Hai decided to hide Yinsen at Kamar-Taj until Tony had seen the footage of his ordeal.
• Lin Hai found The Ancient One absent and asked Hamil to contact her about Yinsen staying at Kamar-Taj.

Lin Hai asked the Ancient One to let Yinsen stay at Kamar-Taj, and she agreed while making Lin Hai responsible for the consequences of bringing him there. After Lin Hai treated Yinsen’s injuries, Yinsen woke in his new room and asked where he was and who Lin Hai was.

• Hamil used a rune-covered platform to summon the Ancient One for Lin Hai.
• Lin Hai explained that he wanted Kamar-Taj to shelter Yinsen, not teach him magic.
• The Ancient One agreed, saying Lin Hai’s intervention made him responsible for Yinsen’s possible future.
• Hamil led Lin Hai and Yinsen to a modest room for Yinsen to stay in.
• Lin Hai healed Yinsen’s deeper injuries and restored his vitality.
• Yinsen woke and asked Lin Hai where he was and who he was.

Lin Hai rescued Yinsen from the cave, healed his mortal wounds, and brought him to a hidden place of cultivation in the Himalayas. After learning Tony Stark had escaped, Yinsen questioned why Lin Hai had saved him and why he could not safely go outside, but Lin Hai left the danger unexplained.

• Lin Hai opened a Portal to fetch warm water and gave it to the recovering Yinsen.
• Lin Hai told Yinsen he had rescued him from the cave and brought him to a safe place in the Himalayas.
• Yinsen remembered being shot and discovered that Lin Hai had healed his wounds without leaving scars.
• Lin Hai told Yinsen that Tony Stark had escaped the cave, crashed in the desert, and was on his way back to the United States.
• Lin Hai said he had saved Yinsen for his character, abilities, and significance to Tony, and warned that Yinsen might need to stay hidden for months or longer.
• Yinsen asked whether the Ten Rings Gang would keep pursuing him, and Lin Hai did not yet explain the danger.

Lin Hai explained why Yinsen had to remain officially dead and told him that Earth faced upheavals beyond ordinary understanding. He left Yinsen to settle into the practitioners’ community, where Yinsen began to process his changed life.

• Lin Hai told Yinsen that his apparent death had been crucial to Tony Stark’s transformation and that revealing he was alive too soon could hinder it.
• Lin Hai said he had saved Yinsen because his skills could be useful when future upheavals came to Earth.
• Lin Hai explained that Yinsen should keep a low profile among the practitioners and could seek help from Hamil if needed.
• Yinsen asked about the coming events and the practitioners, and Lin Hai described his predictions as prophecy or divination and distinguished his own abilities from the community’s practices.
• Lin Hai left Yinsen alone in the room, and Yinsen reflected on his unfamiliar surroundings before closing his eyes.

Lin Hai explained his suspicions about an approaching era of upheaval to Gwen, Peter, and Harry, revealing that he had been tracking Tony Stark’s capture and escape. He left them knowing Tony’s ordeal was the landmark event behind Master Hamil’s divination.

• Lin Hai asked Master Hamil to keep an eye on Yinsen and ensure he had supplies.
• Peter, Gwen, and Harry confronted Lin Hai with a news report announcing that Tony Stark had been found in Afghanistan.
• Peter connected Lin Hai’s hidden-camera arrangements and trip to Afghanistan to Tony’s return, and Lin Hai agreed to explain.
• Lin Hai described how Master Hamil’s Divination Spell had shown that their daily lives would remain steady while Earth approached a landmark event.
• Lin Hai confirmed that Tony Stark’s attack, captivity, escape, and future impact were the landmark event he had been tracking.

Lin Hai explained how he had used Hamil’s divination and concealed cameras to observe and record Tony Stark’s ordeal in Afghanistan. He planned to preserve the footage and wait for Tony to return to New York, while he and his friends prepared for graduation and the extraordinary events ahead.

• Lin Hai told Peter, Harry, and Gwen that Hamil’s divination had vaguely warned of danger to Tony, and that he had inferred the likely outcome after learning Tony was going to Afghanistan.
• Lin Hai explained that he had acted as an observer and recorder, using the cameras Peter and Harry built while preventing Tony from dying prematurely.
• Peter realized the cameras had captured Tony’s ordeal and called the footage valuable firsthand material.
• Lin Hai said he would preserve the recordings and that Tony might learn about them through Pepper after settling back in New York.
• Harry asked about Lin Hai’s plans, and Lin Hai said the group should finish school and prepare for the changes that Tony’s return might bring.

After Tony Stark announced that Stark Industries would immediately shut down its weapons division, the company’s stock plunged. Lin Hai gathered his partners and Matt’s law firm to plan a personal investment aimed at securing voting shares while keeping the acquisition legal and discreet.

• Tony Stark announced at a press conference that he was shutting down Stark Industries’ weapons manufacturing division, triggering turmoil across the United States and a steep drop in the company’s stock.
• Lin Hai saw the falling share price as a chance to become a Stark Industries shareholder with voting rights, and contacted his partners and Matt.
• At a meeting in Matt’s law office, Harry offered to use Osborn Group funds, but Lin Hai insisted they invest in their personal capacities to avoid attracting attention.
• Gwen and Peter agreed to buy some shares for profit, while Matt, Elektra, and Foggy said they lacked the funds to invest themselves.
• Lin Hai asked Matt’s firm to handle the legal work and Elektra to monitor Stark Industries’ stock price, and the first executive meeting of Starsea Studio ended.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry completed their thesis defenses and graduated from the California Institute of Technology. After celebrating with their families, they flew back to New York together, ready to face the future side by side.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry finished their thesis defenses and discussed which family members would attend graduation.
• Peter said Ben and May would come, while Lin Hai expected his parents to stay away and Harry said Norman would likely miss the ceremony.
• Three days later, the four graduated from the California Institute of Technology, with Ben, May, and Helen celebrating and taking photos with them.
• The group packed a few important belongings at their Los Angeles cottage and boarded a flight to New York.
• Lin Hai reflected that his student days had ended and looked toward the future with Gwen, Peter, and Harry beside him.

After returning to New York, Lin Hai arranged to apply for a green card and searched for a private home in a relatively safe neighborhood. He chose a Brooklyn Heights townhouse and asked the agent to alert him if either neighboring house came up for sale.

• Lin Hai called Matt, who agreed to organize and submit the materials for Lin Hai's employment-based green card application.
• Lin Hai discussed housing options with Gwen, Peter, Harry, Matt, and Foggy, and they settled on Brooklyn Heights as a suitable neighborhood.
• Lin Hai ruled out apartments, detached houses, and penthouses before choosing to look for a townhouse.
• Lin Hai toured a four-story brownstone townhouse with Gwen, Peter, and Harry, and they all approved of its features and location.
• Lin Hai reviewed the property's reports and title documents, decided to buy the townhouse, and asked the agent to contact him if either neighboring house went up for sale.